Cyberbullying
Definitions Cyberbullying is Overview Cyberbullying is basically the same as real-world bullying, though it has elements that do not exist in the physical world such as anonymity, the ability to impersonate the victim, follow the victim home, embarrass the victim in front of an unseen (and potentially vast) online audience and persist online over a long period of time. Also, cyberbullying is typically psychological rather than physical and it is possible for the bully to remain anonymous. There is often a link between cyberbullying and real-world bullying. A list of enacted state statutes regarding cyberbullying from the National Conference of State Legislatures is available here. Megan Meier case Cyberbullying made national headlines in November 2007 after the suicide of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old Missouri girl. In that case, the mother of a former friend of Megan's set up a fake MySpace page, pretending to be a boy who had just moved to the area and was home-schooled. Within a few weeks of becoming "friends" with "Josh," on October 15, 2006, the tone of his messages changed drastically, with "Josh" saying he no longer wanted to be friends with Megan, because "he" had heard that she had been mean to some of her friends. On October 16, 2006, Megan hanged herself in her closet. The mother was charged with violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for her alleged role in the hoax. The Act makes it a felony punishable by up to five years of imprisonment if one "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization . . . , and thereby obtains . . . information from any protected computer if the conduct involved an interstate ... communication" and "the offense was committed in furtherance of any . . . tortious act this case intentional infliction of emotional distress in violation of the . . . laws . . . of any State." Prosecutors alleged that the defendant violated MySpace's terms of use by using a fictitious name, thereby giving her no authority to access MySpace. However, the judge granted the defendant's motion for a judgment of acquittal. In granting the defendant's motion, the judge found that the absence of "minimal guidelines to govern law enforcement" as well as notice deficiencies made a misdemeanor violation of the CFAA based upon a "conscious violation of a website's terms of service" void for vagueness.United States v. Drew, 259 F.R.D. 449 (C.D. Cal. 2009) (full-text). Although much cyberbullying takes place in the "wired" world, more recently, these sorts of messages are being sent from and to mobile devices. Since many mobile devices are capable of performing the same tasks as computers, these messages are now being sent via mobile instant messaging, the mobile websites of social networking sites, and text messaging. References See also * Burn book * Cyberbullying and the Non-consensual Distribution of Intimate Images (Canada) * Cyberbullying Hurts: Respect for Rights in the Digital Age * Cyberbullying.org * Cyberstalking * Cyberharassment * Dealing with Cyberbullies * Respectful and Responsible Relationships: There's No App for That * State cyberbullying laws * StopBullying.gov * U.S. v. Drew External resources * Cyber Bullying Research Center (full-text). * "Does Online Harassment Constitute Bullying? An Exploration of Online Harassment by Known Peers and Online-Only Contacts." * "Online bullying: identifying target, bully, and bystander behavior." Category:Cybercrime Category:Definition Category:Children Category:Social media